The Valentine's Day When
by Tabitha craft
Summary: The next story in the series after The Christmas When and The New Year When. Again, light hearted and short. Links to the previous two stories added.


**This is the next in my set of stories called the such and such when.**

**1/ The Christmas When**

** s/9949564/1/The-Christmas-when**

**2/ The New Years When**

** s/9970130/1/The-New-Years-when**

**and now this. Please review. It really does make a difference. Thanks Tab **

**The Valentines Day When**

It was cold. Freezing cold and Pacey felt the ice down to his very core. For one thing it was minus five, for another he was feeling the impact of being in a new place where he only had one real friend, and thirdly it had been forty four days since he had last seen Joey and to make matters worse with the craziness of moving, with the busyness of her work as she finished up for her transfer to New York, he hadn't spoken to her in a week, had an email from her in days, in fact there had been a general gaping Joey void in his life since their flirtatious phone call on moving day. That void was causing havoc with his emotions. He was driving himself nuts with his protracted, epic stares into space as he contemplated why she wasn't picking up her goddamned phone. He was buying them both cell phones and that was that. It was a miracle they'd resisted the lure of such technology as long as they had. That decision didn't change the fact that he was GOING. STARK. RAVING. MAD.

It was always going to be tough to be parted from the girl he was besotted with. To be parted from the girl he was ass backward in love with. To be parted from the girl who finally allowed him to kiss her after years of wanting to. To be parted from the girl who allowed him to push his body into hers and...gagh he couldn't go down that line of thought anymore. He was regressing back into being a horny teenager, taking excessive showers and hiding in his room with a box of tissues. It was Joey's fault. He'd planned to be patient, had assumed it would be part and parcel of finally getting to be with Joey, but she...well she'd had other ideas. He'd loved the other ideas. A flash of her half naked in his fire fighting uniform flittered through his mind and his body pulsed with a surge of want. _Man he was easy._

He'd arrived in New York a week earlier, sleeping on the couch in Jen's cramped apartment. Joey should have been there two weeks earlier but they were keeping her in Boston for an extra month, which totally sucked. Finding a place of his own had proved to be extremely time consuming and frustrating. Jen had been great, happy to help and pleased to have him stay, but Jen worked long hours and he was on his own for apartment hunting. Three days straight he traipsed around affordable slums, affordable hell holes, and affordable closets. In the end he went for an affordable closet, close to work, close to Jen and close enough to Joey's work that she would hopefully stay over. The closet was small but perfectly formed with its tiny bedroom, large enough for a double bed and nothing more. Thankfully the built in closet had oodles of room. The small bathroom was, well small, and the rest of it was tiny. Room for a small table, a couch and chair, TV and a kitchen that really wished it was a kitchen. Still, the time would come when he could afford something more. He wasn't sure when but still.

Jen kindly devoted her day off to helping him kit out the space and move his stuff in. Pacey was just relieved that it had already been agreed for Burt to hang at the fire hall during Pacey's shifts. The size of the apartment made him feel guilty for leaving Capeside where his place had been huge and the dog had a yard, and a beach. Still, there was a park nearby and the fire hall was nice. The guys seemed like a good lot and Pacey was used to fitting in pretty easily. They'd already bought a dog bed for Burt which had made the overwhelming nature of such a giant transition a little easier for Pacey. Despite the guys at work being nice, despite the welcome they gave Burt, despite Jen having him over for dinner, despite all that Pacey just really wished Joey would answer her phone.

The following day things took a turn for the worse. Heading into work with his hat on, gloves on, thick winter coat on, bundled up for the arctic temperatures Pacey had been thinking yet again about Joey. It was Valentine's Day and back at New Year he couldn't have imagined spending the first Valentine's Day he actually had Joey apart from her. But life can suck, and it was a Thursday, she was still incommunicado and he was alone, in love, surrounded by everyone and everything reminding him of love, but without his love. With no email from Joey, no phone call, no card, he was beginning to feel a little scrunched up inside, like it was all going wrong, that perhaps what happened over Christmas was just a really amazing dream. He'd emailed her of course. The night before and that morning. He'd even written a poem for gods sake and sent her a schmaltzy card. Granted it was only seven in the morning but still, a one liner of kisses would have been better than nothing.

Pacey sighed as he and Burt continued walking to work. Despite being the city that never slept, New York was quiet at seven am on a cold, icy morning. Burt was walking beside him, as always at heel, his leash on. They did nothing wrong. Pacey told himself again and again that they did nothing wrong. The bike came out of nowhere. They were crossing on a walk signal and the road had been clear and then the bike whipped around from some ally and smashed into them at great speed. Burt took the brunt of it. His poor beloved dog lying bleeding on the ground as the cyclist got up unharmed, jumped back on his bike and pedalled off. Burt lay still and unmoving a fact Pacey's brain couldn't wrap itself around. He crouched down and ran his hands over the dog. There wasn't much blood, but there wasn't any sign of life. A tide of sadness crushed him. He scooped up his sizeable dog and turned for the station. The guys would help him.

The guys had helped him, helped him and Burt, but unfortunately nothing could really help Burt and despite the vet's best efforts his dog was dead. His beautiful, loyal dog, who had been there for him through all his lovelorn days was gone and now he really was all alone. Trudging up the sidewalk to home his eyes fixed on the ground, he didn't immediately see her. But after years of longing it was perhaps now an intrinsic warning system he had because he raised his eyes and there, shivering on the cold out the front of his new apartment, was Joey, her eyes fixed on him and filled with love, brimming with it. She was on her feet, a small frown marring her beautiful face and then she was in his arms, her arms tight around him, his even tighter around her, his face buried in her neck. He didn't even think to be embarrassed by the hot tears that filled his eyes, or how his frame shook to finally feel her with him and after such a terrible day.

'Pace,' her words were soft, her cold lips on his cheek, her hands rubbing at tears. 'What's happened?'

'You're here,' he sniffed, 'and Burt...'

'Burt what?' her concern was genuine, he loved how genuine it was.

'A bike hit us this morning, hit him,' he sniffed.

'But he's ok?' she asked, her mittened hands holding his face.

'No,' he shook his head and watched as her eyes flooded.

'Oh Pace,' she wrapped her arms around him again, her lips pressed against his neck.

'I have never been more glad to see anyone in my life than I am to see you at this moment.'

'I'm sorry about this last week. My internet and phone were cut off early because the company are idiots, then they couldn't reconnect, and the boss started monitoring emails for some stupid reason, and then I decided to surprise you. I was meant to be here yesterday but I got caught in that snow storm and...'

'You're here now,' he smiled softly, indulgently.

'I'm sorry Pace. I...'

'There's nothing to be sorry for. Just for future reference I just can't cope not speaking to you for so long...'

'I hated it, every second of it. I kept trying but everything has gone into overdrive. I've been working crazy hours and every time I tried to call and I did try, you weren't there. We need cellphones Pace because I can't cope either.'

'I'm buying them tomorrow,' he squeezed her.

'I can't believe Burt is...' she whispered.

'It was so sudden,' he pressed his face against her neck. 'But you're here. Without you I just couldn't...'

'Let's go inside Pace,' she pressed a kiss to his cheek and he nodded, gripping her hand. As they entered the building he grabbed her bag that was lying on the stoop.

'I can't believe you're here,' he shook his head. 'I've really, really missed you.'

'Well that's why I'm here. Because I really missed you too,' she shot him a shy look.

'I know I'm all sad about Burt but I'm also incredibly happy you're here. It's a crazy juxtaposition of emotions.'

'So I did the right thing?'

'Yes,' it came out a little desperate and it occurred to him that in the onslaught of emotion he hadn't even kissed her properly and that now he was utterly desperate to do just that. It would in fact be a crime not to.

'Can I kiss you?' he asked as they rode the elevator up to his floor.

'What?' she gave him a look, brow pursed, incredulous.

'I just really want to,' he murmured staring at her lips. 'But it's been a while, we can just talk,' his heart squeezed. Maybe things would be different that at Christmas? Maybe she wasn't so sure? She'd missed him but that might be because they were best friends. It sounded like she wanted him but the look on her face when he asked to kiss her...

'I meant, what is with you Pacey? I'm your girlfriend, you can kiss me pretty much whenever you want, you know unless I've got bad breath, or the flu or I'm in the bathroom. It's been six weeks, I'm desperate for you to kiss me,' she glared at him and then stepped up close, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.

It was like coming home. It was official that he had indeed turned into a cheese monster but it was true, he now understood what people meant by that. Kissing Joey made not only his body literally spring to life, but despite the most awful day it made him feel whole. He groaned because he now wanted to do a lot more than kiss her.

'Pacey,' she moaned his name, a soft lament as he pressed himself against her, her back hitting the wall of the elevator with a soft thud. He wasn't sure he'd ever got hard so fast in all his life, his hips grinding against hers with an almost feral desperation. Joey's icy hands found their way to the edges of his uniform shirt and tugged it until they were smoothing over the taut muscles of his stomach.

'Joey,' he practically growled her name, his hands moving to grasp at her chest and then down to the button of her jeans.

'I don't want elevator sex,' she moaned, her hand finding his cock, and running across it.

'You do, you really do,' he finally flicked her button open, as the elevator door pinged and opened. Thankfully on his floor and not to let another person on.

'My bag,' Joey bossed and grabbing his hand waited until he'd picked up her bag that he'd discarded earlier and led her to his apartment. He'd barely opened the door before Joey was flinging her clothes off until she was stood before him in her underwear, and then she was on her back on his couch, his body over hers and he was kissing her like he'd die if he stopped and he honestly thought he might die if he had to stop. His hand was in her panties, moving into the warmth between her legs until she was gasping his name.

'No,' she growled, but then she came, her eyes squeezing shut and her body writhing under the ministrations of his hand. 'I want you in me Pace, not your hand, you,' she chided softly her hand flicking the belt on his uniform pants, quickly followed by the button and then she was shoving everything down and drawing him between her legs with her heels.

'Uuugh...mmmm,' he groaned, careless in his movements, uncontrolled, desire driven. Joey didn't appear to care, her nails scratching down his back, her heels forcing him into her harder and faster, her teeth biting at that lower lip of hers, it was too much, and way before he wanted to he came, an orgasm that seemed to last forever. 'I'm sorry,' he kissed her neck, her cheeks, her lips.

'Hmmm,' she murmured and dragged his hand between her legs. He couldn't help the spontaneous grin and watched her face as he made her come undone. Joey had always held on tight, but in bed he could make her let loose and he loved it, loved her. He moved off of her and lay beside her pulling her body against his, his palm curling protectively around her breast, his lips on her shoulder.

'You came to see me,' he practically purred.

'It's Valentine's Day,' she shrugged and turned so they were facing one another. She reached over him and pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and over them.

'The day of love...' he said it casually because they hadn't said the words since they parted, not in the last long six weeks apart. Oh they'd skirted around the words alright in emails, they'd implied the words many times, used love as a way to end an email, but never in the all important order, upfront and in black and white, not since New Year. Pacey loved her. He hadn't doubted that fact since he was fifteen. He was in love with her, seemingly irrevocably and she...she was certainly fond of him, certainly in deep like with him. She had said she loved him repeatedly at New Year but not since and with the separation, the unfortunate period of no contact, even with the fantastic sex they'd just shared, he was feeling uneasy. He wanted to hear those words again. He certainly felt that she loved him. She seemed like a loved up mush ball as much as he did, but the words, she needed to say the words.

'The day of love,' she agreed and stared at him. The words nearly tumbled out but he hesitated. What if she'd cooled towards him? What if she was uneasy with the speed at which they were hurtling in this new direction? What if the absence of contact over the last week was about something more? Joey was a skittish kitten and the last thing he needed or wanted to do was scare her away by overwhelming her with his verbal declarations. No, he should wait he decided. Joey dropped her head back down and then leant forward and peppered his chest with kisses before resting her head on his chest, her ear over his heart.

'I can honestly say I've never been more glad to see anyone in my entire life,' he whispered at length, repeating his earlier comment. 'When I saw you...thank you.'

'I'm really sorry about Burt,' she pressed a kiss to his chest, over the the thump of his heart.

'Me too. I keep thinking I can hear him. All day at work, but no. He was a good dog.'

'No, he was a great dog,' she whispers the words and his heart squeezes at the word, squeezes with love for the girl lying naked across him and love for his dog.

* * *

><p>'So lots of sex was the extent of your Valentine's Day surprise?' Pacey pulled Joey against him, his heart still hammering and his mind still fuggy from another astounding orgasm.<p>

'Pretty much. You're Mr Grand Romantic Gesture, I'm get naked and please him girl.'

'I don't know. Your Christmas gift was pretty romantic,' he smirked at her, loving how the girl of his dreams was lying post coital in his bed, her hair a messed up sex fest, her chin resting on her hand and her eyes devouring him. It still amazed him that this girl he'd spent so many years adoring from afar, adoring from up close but never adoring intimately, was now in his bed welcoming his adoration.

'I threw myself at you Pace, quite literally,' she rolled her eyes.

'Do you want to go up the Empire State Building tonight?' he asked and she shook her head. 'Ice skating?' Again she shook her head. 'Dinner?'

'Mmmm, I could eat some pizza about now,' she smirked.

'It was really about the sex?' he smirked and she traced a heart with her finger right above his heart.

'It was about a little more than the sex,' she redrew the heart, then rose those big eyes of hers to meet his.

'Yeah?' his voice cracked but then again she seemed to be saying what he desperately wanted to hear.

'I love you Pace,' she said it so simply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world and all the worry and stress from earlier evaporated.

'Yeah?' damn it all because she loved him and she was happy to say it.

'Yes,' she looked at him as if he were a little crazy. 'You know that!'

'Say it again,' he kissed her cheek.

'I love you,' she looked down, her countenance bashful.

'Again,' he pleaded running a hand down her side and over the swell of her hip, and then tugging her closer by the curve of her ass.

'I love you.'

'Mmmmm, you love me,' he teased softly, kissing the corner of her mouth, then her cheeks and then her mouth.

'Mmmm,' she agreed into a fevered kiss.

* * *

><p>A little later they lay curled up on his couch. Complaining about the cold Joey had helped herself to one of his hoodies and was cocooned in it, a blanket around her as she nestled against his side.<p>

'Is this the lamest Valentine's Day ever?' she looked away from Star Wars and up at him. Pacey's mind scrambled for a moment, confused,

'Are you insane?' he honestly doubted her superior brain power.

'Well is it? Curled up on the couch watching Star Wars?'

'This is like my dream Valentine's Day, seriously you crazy lady! I hate restaurants on Valentine's Day, and that comes from the guy that's worked in them. This,' he gestured to them and the room at large, 'this is perfect,' he shook his head and gave a wry chuckle, 'I mean you surprise me...you get here in the knick of time, saving me from depression over my poor dog, you comfort me with sex three times, you tell me you love me, you order us Thai take away and then curl up on the couch with me to watch Star Wars! For a guy, for me, there is no better Valentine's Day.'

'And I haven't even given you your gift,' she smirked.

'You got me a gift?' his voice squeaked.

'Well yeah, it is Valentine's Day you know Pace,' she gave him a contemptuous look.

'I got you something so there's no need for that face,' he gave her cheek a gentle squeeze, 'I just assumed you travelling here, all the sex, well...'

'You thought sex was my gift?' she grinned.

'Well yeah,' he shrugged.

'Let me get it,' she rolled her eyes.

'Ok, I'll get yours. Your card, by the way, is in Boston,' he shot her a sultry look.

'Something for when I'm missing you,' she murmured digging through her bag before handing him an envelope and a package. Pacey took them and ripped open his envelope. He couldn't help but laugh loudly to see Harrison Ford as Han Solo and the words "I Know" across the front.

'I didn't even know we were going to watch the movie,' she smirked.

'That should be my line,' he felt his blush.

'Sure it should Mr Say You Love Me Again.'

'Well I like to hear it because I love you...'

'I know,' she laughed gleefully and he grinned broadly, pulling her close. 'Now your gift,' she kissed his cheeks, rounded from the smile he couldn't get rid of. Ripping open the packet Pacey smiled again,

'Firefighter themed cookie cutters?' he gave her a long affectionate look.

'I figured you could make me cookies that make me think if you,' she smiled but then looked suddenly serious, 'and Burt,' she pointed at the dog cutter.

'I love them,' he pressed them against his chest, truly touched. The dog shaped one matched the dog shaped hole in his heart, but he just loved the girl beside him. 'Open yours,' he nodded at the wrapped gift on her lap. Tentatively she pulled at the paper. He'd hunted high and low for something. Something that wasn't too much, but wasn't too little, something that was just right. He loved the dainty necklace with the tiny heart on it, loved it because it seemed to suit Joey and because she literally had his heart. Loved that it was artisan, a one of a kind just like her. 'That's symbolic of my heart, because well...you know...'

'Yeah, I know,' she grinned at him.

'I love you.'

'I know,' she said it softly, her finger on the heart. 'This looks expensive Pace,' she whispered.

'Well when you give your heart away you hope it's worth a lot,' he always spoke too much when he was nervous.

'You know that it is,' she stated.

'You like it?' he really couldn't tell.

'I love it,' she nodded. 'Is it real gold?' She frowned at the 18 carat gold label in the box.

'Ignore all that. If you like it, wear it.'

'Now please,' she handed it to him to fix around her neck. When he'd finished fumbling with the clasp she held the tiny heart in her fingers, 'In my mind your heart is this thing of mythically huge proportions,' she said.

'That would be impossible,' he smiled.

'I don't know. I've never known anyone quite as good as you. Aside from your ability for self loathing you're annoyingly rather perfect.'

'Annoyingly?' he arched an eyebrow and tugged her onto his lap.

'Well it's less annoying now you're my boyfriend. Now it's rather wonderful.'


End file.
